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Agriculture

Fifth-generation corn, pumpkin farm preserved through trust

By Jordan Hansen Everett Herald MALTBY, Wash. — Contrary to popular belief, corn mazes are a relatively new phenomenon. Bob Ricci, a fifth-generation farmer co-owns Bob’s Corn and Pumpkin Farm with his wife Sarah, remembers seeing a Pennsylvania corn maze for the first time in a 1995 edition of Successful Farming magazine. He was astounded. There was just something about 50,000 people paying $5 to walk through a cornfield that the lifelong farmer had trouble wrapping his head around. It was an early taste of agricultural tourism, something the Ricci family has since fully ...

Online course to cover sheep management and production

UNIVERSITY PARK — An upcoming Penn State Extension online course will cover many aspects of sheep production and operation management, including evaluating and selecting sheep, setting up sheep facilities, keeping records, selecting feeds to meet sheep nutritional requirements, managing grazing, understanding and preventing health issues, and marketing sheep and their products. Designed for anyone getting started in the sheep business and producers who want to improve their sheep operation, this course will open Aug. 29. Webinars will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 18, Oct. 2, Oct. 16 ...

Mifflin County Farm to Table Gala Sept. 7

BELLEVILLE — Mifflin County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee and the Young Ag Professionals are hosting the second Farm to Table Gala, Sept. 7 at Brookmere Winery and Vineyard Inn, Rte. 655 in Belleville. Cocktail hour is from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with dinner to follow. The goal is to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers and make local consumers aware of all the products available locally. Organizers are working with producers to locally source as many menu items as possible. One free beverage is included with your ticket purchase (additional beverages will be ...

Fun facts from the Juniata County Dairy Ambassador

Hello, I am Jackson and I am a Juniata County Dairy Ambassador. I want to remind everyone to get three servings of dairy everyday! Fun Dairy Facts: • America’s favorite cheese is cheddar. • The first dairy cows came to America in 1611 in Jamestown. • Cows have one stomach ...

Rains came down and floods came up

By Leah Fronk Horticulture Educator Penn State Extension, Juniata County Many farmers and gardeners across the Northeast United States are experiencing flooding this summer. After a very dry spring, the rainfall in recent weeks has been welcomed, wished for, and now we wonder “is this too much rain?” In some parts of the Northeast, the answer is “yes - too much rain.” Some parts of our county and state have seen localized flooding. It is not as widespread in Pennsylvania as other states such as Vermont where thousands of agricultural acres have been lost to ...

Hands-on activities and exhibits planned for youngest Ag Progress Days visitors

UNIVERSITY PARK — 4-H is an opportunity to introduce kids and teens to the wide world of agriculture, and the 4-H Youth Building has a slate of activities planned for youth of all ages at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 8-10. The building is located behind the Family Room on Main St., between West Eighth St. and West Ninth St. at the Ag Progress Days site. Displays and exhibitors at the 4-H Youth Building during all three days of the expo will include the following: Pennsylvania 4-H: Learn about the state’s 4-H program, and then build and launch your own ...